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Bravo, Kamara power Sporting past TFC

Jul 24, 2011 - 2:46 AM Kansas City, KS (Sports Network) - Sporting Kansas City extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games on Saturday at Livestrong Sporting Park as Kei Kamara and Omar Bravo scored two goals apiece in a 4-2 win over Toronto FC.

The home side scored three times in a nine-minute span in the first half to take control of the match, while Toronto got goals from a pair of new faces as Danny Koevermans and Ryan Johnson both notched their first goals for TFC in the second half.

Koevermans nearly opened his account in the first three minutes as he had a point-blank shot kept out by a great reaction stop from Sporting goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, who got a hand to the ball to redirect it over the crossbar.

The Dutch forward had another opportunity a few minutes later after a good ball from Torsten Frings gave him an open look at goal, only for his left- footed shot to skip inches past the far post.

But from there, Kansas City took over and went ahead in the 28th minute when Toronto's Maicon Santos failed to clear a corner kick, allowing Kamara to score on an acrobatic scissors kick from eight yards.

Five minutes later the lead was doubled as Roger Espinoza delivered a pinpoint cross from the left wing to the back post, where Kamara got free from his defender and headed the ball past goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Brazilian Jeferson was signed by Sporting this past week and he made an impact in his first match by playing a through ball to Bravo which allowed the Mexican to round Frei and roll the ball into the net in the 37th minute, extending the lead to 3-0.

Toronto didn't go away and cut its deficit to 3-1 five minutes after the restart when Johnson's cross found the head of Koevermans, who nodded it home.

But the hosts restored their three-goal lead in the 63rd minute when Chance Myers played a low cross from the right wing into the path of Bravo, who was left with a simple first-time finish from 10 yards that gave Frei no chance.

Johnson got on the scoresheet himself in the final 20 minutes, and although there are some promising signs for Toronto in attack with the team's new players, defensively the Reds are still very much a work in progress as they have conceded 12 goals combined in their last four games.